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MattJ

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
May 15, 2011
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163
Hi folks!

New here.

I have a 30" x 12" x 12" tank and it's currently cycling without fish.

Ammonia is currently showing as 2ppm and Nitrite and Nitrates are both 0.

I am looking for suggestions for which fish to keep?

Currently I have been advised to start out with 6 tetras, barbs or danios and build from there? I am new to keeping fish and am open to suggestions.

The missus is keen on GloFish (part of the danio group?) and Neon Tetras so ideally will have some of those in but what to start off with / what will go well with them - how many etc?
 
My question re: fishless cycling though is ...

I have only added one lot of ammonia (Wednesday I think it was) and did the tests today. Some guides say that you only need the one lot and some say to keep adding at intervals or when ammonia levels drop back down to 0ppm.

I have read the guide on here which conflicts with what I have been told previously.

Heat is high and the heater / filter are from an established tank - incl filter pads, etc (these are however in good condition so I have not replaced the pads).

What should my plan of action be?

As everyone is when getting a new tank - I just want to get my fish!! But I want to do this properly !!
 
U should keep test ur water parameters every few days. Until u get a drop in ammonia and increase in whatever. Then u can add more ammonia. If ur nitrite and nitrate reading go off the charts! Do a 50% pwc! High nitrite can cause ur cycle to stall and u don't want that do u :p!
 
MattJ said:
My question re: fishless cycling though is ...

I have only added one lot of ammonia (Wednesday I think it was) and did the tests today. Some guides say that you only need the one lot and some say to keep adding at intervals or when ammonia levels drop back down to 0ppm.

I have read the guide on here which conflicts with what I have been told previously.

Heat is high and the heater / filter are from an established tank - incl filter pads, etc (these are however in good condition so I have not replaced the pads).

What should my plan of action be?

As everyone is when getting a new tank - I just want to get my fish!! But I want to do this properly !!
Click to expand...

Welcome to AA. When the ammo begins dropping, keep dosing it up to around 4ppm. Never let it drop to 0 because the bacteria will be starved of food and begin to die off. Your tank will be cycled once you can convert 4ppm of ammo into no2 and then no3 in a 24 hour period.

Check out the link in my signature. It'll walk you right through it :)
 
Thanks.

In the mean time, any stocking suggestions?
 
tetras, barbs and danios are all great choices... but it is really up to you.

I would suggest doing some research into what you want you tank to look like, your tap water parameters and your budget...

Some people (myself) like a very "natural" looking tank with all decor and species to be from a specific area in the world... others like multi-color gravel and a total mix of fish... do you want live plants? or fake plants?

once you have an idea of the direction you want to go in, you can then narrow down your stocking options.
 
Hi,

Not fussed about having real plants in and no preference of having all fish from certain parts of the world!

Tank is fairly simply, a few ornaments and the gravel is black, with a SMALL amount of pink mixed in for effect.
 
The fishless cycle guide on AA really works. I've just finished cycling 2 tanks (a 15 gallon and a 10 gallon) with it and it was fairly quick.

There are many other types of tetras, some of my fav are flame tetras, cardinal tetras etc. Lots of options out there!
 
My girl also deemed it mandatory that Glofish (genetically modified Zebra Danios) were part of our stocking plan, lol. In my 48 gallon we've got a mix of Glofish / Leopard Danios (they don't know they're different and all school together), some Neons, Red Eye Tetras, Red Cherry Shrimp, Amano Shrimp, Otos and a Bolivian Ram as our centerpiece fish.

I saw the measurements, but how many gallons is the tank? I'd also recommend a small school of Corydoras to add life to the bottom of the tank. Shrimp are neat because they are good cleaners and take up virtually none of your bio-load. You can get a bunch and they don't really count much towards the number of fish you can have.

Keep us updated on how your cycle is going. Just keep following the guide and you'll stay right on track :)
 
I'm cycling right now too. Never hurts to start thinking about stocking early that way you go do some of your own research as to what u want. I've been trying to decide for my 55g I really like the German blue rams but since im a beginner it looks like Bolivian would be best for me. I have some neons in my 10 gallon and I love the little guys. I also have some flame tetras and they are cool and different for little fish. If you get barbs keep in mind they can be aggressive and pretty nippy . unfortunately they do best in large schools which require pretty large tanks. The glo fish are cool. U may also wanna check the glolight tetra they are cool:) google will be your best friend lol... Pick want you want and start weeding things out according to tank size and comparability... There are also black and penguin tetras :) If u het a cleanup crew make sure that you tank size meets it's growing needs bc that's a common mistake lol I have a common pleco in my 10g he needs a 100 g or more. Tell us the things u like and maybe we can help u decide :)
 
Approx 15.5 UK gallon, works out approx 18.7 US Gallon or approx 71 litres.
 
Stocking is not my specialty, but I've got a couple ideas for you. With Danios (Glofish) they are super active fish. The bigger the tank the better, but I think a small school would be fine in a 20 gallon. I personally like to have life at each level of the tank. The Danios are top level swimmers...so I'd shoot for maybe 5 of them in assorted colors / species if you wanted. Then I'd add a small school of something tiny like the neons to take up the middle portion of the tank. For the bottom area I'd go with a few Julii Corys and a bunch of RCS. Then if you wanted to add one larger fish to serve as a centerpiece fish like a Dwarf Gourami...I think that'd look great
 
I was under the impression tetras etc should be kept in atleast a shoal of six?
 
Another water test, a week into first fishless cycle

NO3 - 10
NO2 - 0.5
Ammonia - 2.0 ppm
 
Should I be testing more regularly than 3-4 days a week?
 
If you can, test every three day or less to ensure you don't starve your new bacterial colony you are growing.

The missus is keen on GloFish (part of the danio group?) and Neon Tetras so ideally will have some of those in but what to start off with / what will go well with them - how many etc?
Click to expand...

These are excellent choices for first stocking choices. And yes, all tetras should be kept in groups of six or more.

There are many, many varieties of tetras, which are excellent first fish. Many types have been suggested here, and that is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to tetras.

But do your homework on tetras. Some can be nippy -such as black skirts - and not easy to keep with other fish, though most are not.

Corys for the bottom are nice too, but they are also a schooling fish and do best in groups of six or more.

I would not advise you to stock barbs at this time. They can be aggressive and many types will grow way too large for your tank.

Killifish, small varieties of rainbows and nano rasboras are also good choices, though sometimes harder to find.
 
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